IAB event paints a compelling picture of retail media in Aotearoa

Earlier this month, IAB New Zealand brought the industry together to discuss the accelerating shift in how brands, retailers and media platforms converge in the commerce ecosystem. Held against the backdrop of global mommentum and a strong local appetite for innovation, the Retail Media Storefronts event painted a compelling picture of where retail media in Aotearoa is headed.

Bridging global and local retail media ambitions

The first keynote speaker, Roger Dunn, global retail media lead at Diageo and a retail media consultant, provided a high-level global-to-local lens. In his talk, ‘From global trends to local storefronts’, Dunn underscored the seismic changes in retail media’s influence on the broader media landscape.

Dunn noted that the top two media owners in the US by audience reach are now retailers^[1] – which is not a trend, but a transformation.

Dunn stressed the importance of unifying brand, shopper, and retail media teams across the funnel. “Retail media becomes the A-Team when unified across the funnel,” he explains, highlighting how omnichannel strategies now necessitate collaboration between sales, brand, and media teams.

He emphasised that while retail media may feel new, its foundational concept is decades old – what’s changed is the sophistication of the technology, data, and attribution models that power it.

A commercial evolution in action

Founder and former managing director of Mars United Commerce ANZ, Sally Tobin, brought a brand-side view. With decades of experience in commerce-led strategies, Tobin said “retail media is not just a performance lever – it’s a strategic asset.”

“Retail media should no longer sit as a budget line in trade – it’s a commercial growth engine,” Tobin stated in her keynote, urging the industry to move past siloed planning and embrace integrated models that are both brand-building and conversion-driving.

Tobin also warned against short-termism: “We need to move beyond the obsession with media metrics in isolation. True impact comes from aligning retail media investment to broader business goals, including retailer relationships and the impact that has on long term business performance.”

Friction, full-funnel focus and a call for collaboration

The Buy Side speaker panel, “Powering Growth with Precision,” was moderated by Market Media’s head of strategy & media Alex Lawson. It unpacked real-world challenges and successes across retail media activation. Unilever digital commerce & retail media lead Sebastian Dennis shared how the company is leveraging retail-media to drive full-funnel outcomes for brands like Persil by adopting a “fewer, bigger, better” approach to grow the total category.

L’Oréal NZ’s market director, consumer products division, Daina Wilson, spoke of using retail media to support full-funnel goals: “It’s not just conversion. We’re using homepage takeovers, in-store sampling, and targeted digital to build emotional connection and long-term loyalty”.

Challenges weren’t ignored. FMCG consultant and founder of Pitchfork NZ Janine Chamley and independent commerce consultant Tina Trenkner-Meade both noted the complexity in campaign approvals, asset production, and the lack of standard benchmarks. “We need clarity on what good looks like – benchmarks are still too generic to guide category-specific execution,” said Chamley.

Trenkner-Meade advocated for better cross-functional collaboration: “So many challenges ease when everyone – agency, brand, sales, retailer – has a seat at the table early.”

Emergent themes

The recurring themes were clear: integration, measurement, and transformation. Retail media is no longer confined to digital banners on e-commerce sites. It spans digital screens in-store, branded pages, off-shelf merchandising, and advanced audience segmentation using first-party data.

A key insight from multiple speakers was the need for mindset shifts inside organisations – especially in how retail media budgets are planned and attributed.

There was also an appetite for standardisation, especially in New Zealand’s market where global benchmarks don’t always reflect local category dynamics. Calls were made for unified measurement frameworks and case studies that speak directly to the Aotearoa context.

Local confidence, global context – and collaboration at the core

The event highlighted how New Zealand is carving its own path in retail media – informed by global trends but driven by local insight. A key theme throughout was the power of collaboration.

Market Media general manager Rory McDonald offered a timely reminder: “For retailers, the perceived value of their first-party data has skyrocketed – but to unlock real, sustainable revenue, RMNs must focus on long-term partnerships, not just tactical media buys.”

Broadsign regional VP sales Ben Allman added that digital out-of-home and programmatic tools are key to turning attention into measurable outcomes – particularly when supported by smart, scalable tech.

Their insights reinforced a collective view: trust, transparency, and integration are the building blocks of a high-performing retail media ecosystem.

The numbers back the optimism. With global retail media growing at 22% year-on-year^[2], and APAC markets among the fastest adopters New Zealand is well-positioned to lead its own evolution.

Sources:

[1] eMarketer – Retailer Digital (ComScore June 2024), Retailer In-Store (Placer.ai June 2022), Social Platform Monthly Users (eMarketer May 2024), Subscription TV Video Viewers (eMarketer Feb 2024

[2] Source: eMarketer – Forecast Global, US & LATAM (2025), IAB Europe (2025)